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Topic Review (Newest First)

02-22-2005 10:19 PM

MJC

Hey Wayne...

Quote:

My wife and I just took a long weekend and she surprised me with a new HMH Spartan.

It sounds like you have a great wife. You also have a great vise. Have fun!!!

02-22-2005 07:24 PM

wayne

MJC thank you for your most gracious offer. I have checked out your web page and will order from you in the future, you have become my local fly shop. My wife and I just took a long weekend and she surprised me with a new HMH Spartan. I appreciate all the responses and will be checking back in.

02-16-2005 08:58 AM

grizz0707

I will add my 2 cents, I have been tying for over 30 years and used a Thomoson Model A for the majority and just got an HMH 2 years ago. For the price I think the Model A is the one with the savings going towards the other tools mentioned. There is nothing worse than a dull pair of scissors.
fish we must,
grizz0707

02-16-2005 08:26 AM

BLACK FRANCIS

all very good advise. i would add HMH to the list their new silouette is less than $100. it rotates but does not change angle. the spartan is $159 and tilts and rotates. both will last a lifetime and hold hooks extremely well.

02-16-2005 01:02 AM

flytyer

Wayne,

Like MJC has already said, both of the vises you mentioned are good ones. The Dyna Kings have one of the strongest jaws with very tenacious hook holding in the business, and they are made out of quality machined metals. The Danvise has a very good jaw with good hook holding, but is is not made entirely of machined metal. Some of the Dan Vise parts are very hard and durable modern plastics; it is an excellent vise though. Anyone who knows me or who has been around the forum a while knows I use a Dyna King Barracuda and that I think it is the best vise on the market; but it is not a vise I recommend to beginners.

Regarding the Danvise and Dyna King Kingfisher, I'd take the Kingfisher because it has a better jaw and will literally last a lifetime.

MJC also mentioned the real heart of what you need to be looking at in a vise. The key is not whether a vise is rotary or not, unless you are going to be tying rotary or looking for a vise to tie married classic altlantic salmon flies, or involved saltwater flies.

There are several very good vises on the market that are not rotary, but I strongly suspect the non-rotary would be a better choice for you, especially since you are a brand new, beginning tyer. The simpler the better for new tyers.

Griffin has several very good vises under $100.00 and there is always the venerable Thompson Model A (which has been put back into production since someone stepped up and bought the old Thompson Vise Co., thus keeping this fine, lower-priced vise in production).

MJC's generous offer to let you test drive a few vises is something you should seriously consider doing. This way you can make a purchase on the basis of which one you like.

One thing I would caution you not to do is buying a fly tying kit. Kits are full of stuff you won't use, have generally poor quality materials, generally have poor quality tools, and are a poor buy. You are far better off getting a good vise, good scissors (good ones are between $10.00 and $35.00), a good bobbin (good ones run $6.00 for the S&M to around $20.00 for the ceramic ones), and a Materelli whip finish tool.

Buy materials and hooks in 2 or maybe 3 sizes to tie 2 or at most 3 of the flies you will use to start out with. In the long run, doing this will save you a lot of headaches and actually cost less than having inferior materials and a bunch of useless stuff. After you get the 2 or 3 flies down pretty well, add the materials for another fly or two. Continue doing it this way and you will never get stuck with materials you won't use.

02-15-2005 10:18 PM

FrenchCreek

Another Sponsor That Rocks!

Way to Go MJC!

02-15-2005 12:43 PM

MJC

Fly Vises

Howdy Wayne,

There are a lot of great fly vises on the market. The two you've mentioned while maybe being comparable in price are different styles of vises. A rotary will do more but it may be more then you need/want to start. Both brands are known to have quality products.

If you do visit a fly shop they should have some vises you can try before you buy.

I sell some vises that I believe are comparable in quality and price to those you're looking at. Since no fly shop is close to you I will offer you a one week test drive on any vise I sell. Your only obligation being the return postage should you not like the product.

http://www.redshedflyshop.com/INDEX-TOOLS.html

I am sure you will be getting many more comments on this subject. I would expect flytyer to add his experienced advice. You are beginning on a great hobby. Have fun.

02-15-2005 12:06 PM

wayne

Dan-Vise/Dyna King Kingfisher

Ok, the natural progression is catching up with me. I have been Fly Fishing for a couple of years now and want to start tying flies. I primarily fish for trout, with the occasional outing for crappie/blue gill with my son. I have looked at the Dan-Vise and the Dyna-King Kingfisher. (both are comperable in price). I am just not sure which way to go. I do not have a fly shop within about an hour and a half from where I live, so I would appreciate any and all comments on these two vises.